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[19:14] <@AdEvaGM> ["… Marshal, we're picking up some aberrant tectonic readings." Said Sophie.-
[19:14] <@AdEvaGM> ["What? What do you-"-
[19:15] <@AdEvaGM> [Nairobi-2 was shaking apart.-
[19:15] <@AdEvaGM> [The battle- such as it was- suddenly came to a pause as all turned to watch.-
[19:15] <@AdEvaGM> [The empty towers and squat apartment blocks began to shake apart, then collapse…-
[19:15] <@AdEvaGM> [As a structure of unbelievable size began to berth.
[19:16] <@AdEvaGM> [The Synfront was rising out of the earth.-
[19:17] <@AdEvaGM> [The higher it went, the more earth it began to disrupt, the more Nairobi-2 began to collapse.-
[19:17] <@AdEvaGM> [The Dorian, still impaled in the side, began to rise as well.-
[19:17] <@AdEvaGM> ["Get us out. Now!" Shouted Alphonse.-
[19:18] <@AdEvaGM> ["I can't! The hull's regenerated around us! We're stuck!"-
[19:19] <@AdEvaGM> [The broadest point of the Synfront was free now; the edges of Nairobi-2 began to fall into the colossal sinkhole left behind.-
[19:20] <Raphael> Raphael was already in the air, shadowing the path of the Dorian. "Give me a hole in the AT field and we'll sever the drill from out here!" he shouted.
[19:20] <@AdEvaGM> ["You heard him, Tsubaki!"-
[19:20] <@AdEvaGM> [The hole appeared, large enough for Raphael…]
[19:22] <Raphael> "Right," he gritted his teeth as the Peaceknight spiralled through the gap. "Sniper teams! I'm going to cut open the hull, you sever the armature behind me!"-
[19:23] <Raphael> Both beam sabers ignited and plunged easily through the hull as the Peaceknight only seemed to be speeding up, tracing a path around the hull like a can opener.
[19:26] <@AdEvaGM> ["That's doing it. We're breaking free-"-
[19:26] <@AdEvaGM> ["Full reverse thrusters engage!" Shouted Alphonse.-
[19:27] <@AdEvaGM> [Raphael would turn to see the Dorian pulling free, although parts of the hull were still fused to the Synfront.-
[19:27] <@AdEvaGM> [Marie descended, warming up her weapons to blow apart the armature-
[19:28] <@AdEvaGM> [A gigantic clawed mechanical tentacle, a hundred metres in diameter, lashed upwards out of nowhere, caught Marie and pulped her Superheavy into the deck of the Dorian.-
[19:28] <@AdEvaGM> [The Synfront was a sphere.-
[19:28] <@AdEvaGM> [But it was not just a fortress.-
[19:29] <@AdEvaGM> [Hanging off the bottom of the now-hovering black sphere were a hundred mechanical tentacles.-
[19:29] <@AdEvaGM> [These were the dig-claws, the great automated mining machines that had hollowed out a third of the continent.-
[19:30] <@AdEvaGM> ["Wh-" Raphael would barely be able to hear Marie's wheezing voice. "I'm f-fine-"-
[19:30] <@AdEvaGM> [The Dorian's AT Field started to crumble.-
[19:31] <@AdEvaGM> [The claws rose in earnest, tearing into the hull, smashing through it with claws and drills.-
[19:31] <@AdEvaGM> [On the command deck of the Gendo, Ezekiel watched in horror.-
[19:32] <@AdEvaGM> ["It's a chimera." He said. "She's cannibalised Adam's Moon and fused it with her own technology."-
[19:32] <@AdEvaGM> ["Then that means-"-
[19:32] <@AdEvaGM> [Ezekiel turned.-
[19:32] <@AdEvaGM> ["Marianne! Disperse the fleet!"-
[19:32] <@AdEvaGM> [A trench, about twenty metres wide, split open across the equator of the Synfront.-
[19:33] <@AdEvaGM> [It began to glow with green energy. Raphael recognised it immediately: Angelic Plasma.-
[19:33] <@AdEvaGM> [Two spheres ran across the Plasma Array and collided. A potent green beam was fired; it streaked across the sky, punched through the front of the Liberty Bell and out the back.-
[19:33] <@AdEvaGM> [Silence. Then-
[19:34] <@AdEvaGM> [The Bell exploded, starting in the middle and going outwards, a dozen smaller explosions as subsections collapsed.-
[19:34] <@AdEvaGM> [Within forty seconds, the ship had essentially disintegrated.-
[19:34] <@AdEvaGM> ["No contact from President Linden." Murmured Sophie.]
[19:42] <Raphael> Raphael's comms were silent, but he was still working. The minute Marie spoke he'd dived through the gap in the hull himself, vanishing into the interior. A second later a corkscrew of blinding white light tore clean through the hull as his rifle's Mega Beam carved the Dorian free.-
[19:43] <Raphael> … and then it exploded right back out the other side, boosting to snatch up Marie's AC Suit a second before one of the grasping claws could and accelerating out of reach.-
[19:43] <Raphael> "Get out, now," Raphael barked over command channels at the remaining battleships, any semblance of politeness and calm gone from his voice.. "Any data you can read, run it through the Peaceknight, but jaunt."
[19:44] <@AdEvaGM> [But the Damocles had gone silent.-
[19:45] <@AdEvaGM> ["We're too close to the jamming field." Said Alphonse. "We need more distance! Tsubaki, get us moving-"-
[19:45] <@AdEvaGM> ["She's negating a lot of my things-" Said Tsubaki hurriedly.-
[19:46] <@AdEvaGM> [A dig-claw lashed up and tore through the Dorian's back half. Just like that, the thrusters were torn apart.-
[19:46] <@AdEvaGM> ["…"-
[19:47] <@AdEvaGM> [Alphonse stood up. "Abandon ship! All hands, abandon ship!"-
[19:47] <@AdEvaGM> ["Evangelions, form a defensive perimeter around the Gendo." Said Marianne. "Go, full shields to the front!"-
[19:47] <@AdEvaGM> [The Plasma Array began to glow again- and Raphael could see its focus: the Gendo.-
[19:48] <@AdEvaGM> ["We can't block it!" Shouted Ezekiel. "That's designed to-"-
[19:48] <@AdEvaGM> [The Array fired.-
[19:48] <@AdEvaGM> [Everyone on the Gendo's bridge ducked, as though that'd stop it.-
[19:48] <@AdEvaGM> [… But the bolt didn't strike home.-
[19:49] <@AdEvaGM> [In front of the Gendo was a colossal hexagonal prism, three hundred metres in diameter. It was very thin, and made of a strange crystalline blue substance.-
[19:49] <@AdEvaGM> [A moment later, Ramiel reformed into a rotating cluster of tetrahedrons and fired back.-
[19:50] <@AdEvaGM> [The blast struck the Plasma Array, doing little damage- but delaying its charge.-
[19:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["I'm sending Ramiel my field." Said Go. "Between us, we can keep the Array at bay…"-
[19:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["Enemy signatures detected!" Shouted Sophie.-
[19:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["How many?"-
[19:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["MP Evas, ten… No… Twenty…"-
[19:53] <@AdEvaGM> [Sophie looked up, her face white.-
[19:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["Forty-five MP Evas and six warships incoming."-
[19:54] <@AdEvaGM> [The hosts of Mary Caine came forth.-
[19:55] <Raphael> Raphael was already giving quick, concrete orders to the Superheavies and Evangelions that remained, forming them into lines of defense behind Go and Ramiel's barrier.
[19:56] <@AdEvaGM> [The MP Evas moved quickly and cleanly now, with sudden precision.-
[19:57] <@AdEvaGM> [The six enemy cruisers opened fire from a distance, raining impact blasts on the Federation forces below. One such lucky blast collected Kensuke Aida and his Superheavy, reducing it to ash.-
[19:58] <@AdEvaGM> [On board the Gendo was a room.-
[19:59] <@AdEvaGM> [In this room had been positioned three things: Serafina Raskova, Gilles de Orleans, and an inert Evangelion core.-
[20:00] <@AdEvaGM> [The core had been placed into a strange aperture containing large pneumatic prog-spikes, designed to shatter it on command.-
[20:01] <@AdEvaGM> [The order came down. A pair of Marines stood behind each of the Pillars. Now they stepped forward, training their guns on Serafina and Gilles and preparing to flip the switch on the core.-
[20:02] <@AdEvaGM> [… But the core suddenly went dark and turned to ash.-
[20:02] <@AdEvaGM> [A moment later, both Raskova and de Orleans keeled forward, their skin suddenly becoming lumpy.-
[20:02] <@AdEvaGM> ["No!" Shouted Gilles. "What's happening-"-
[20:02] <@AdEvaGM> ["She should be unstable! This should overwhelm- why-"-
[20:03] <@AdEvaGM> [Raskova didn't speak. She pulled the gun from the nearest Marine, held it to her own head and fired.-
[20:03] <@AdEvaGM> [… But her head had already turned to LCL.-
[20:04] <@AdEvaGM> [Within seconds they had both dissolved.-
[20:04] <@AdEvaGM> [Outside, the battle was raging.-
[20:05] <@AdEvaGM> [The MP Evas fought with grace and skill now, and were dividing the Federation into two clumps: The Gendo, which had Ramiel, Zeruel, Eagle Squadron and half the Evas; and the Dorian, which had Raphael, SOS, and the other half of the Evas.-
[20:06] <@AdEvaGM> [But their problems were only beginning.-
[20:06] <@AdEvaGM> ["New enemy signatures detected!" Shouted Sophie.-
[20:06] <@AdEvaGM> ["More?!"-
[20:07] <@AdEvaGM> [A blur swept across their vision.-
[20:07] <@AdEvaGM> [It was an MP Eva- no. The details were off.-
[20:07] <@AdEvaGM> [It was a Dysangelion, and it bore a burning sigilite scythe.-
[20:08] <@AdEvaGM> ["JOAN!" shouted Marianne. "All hands-"-
[20:08] <@AdEvaGM> ["No!" Shouted Sarah. "But she went mad-"-
[20:09] <@AdEvaGM> ["I'm moving to intercept." Said Keita Asari coldly.-
[20:09] <@AdEvaGM> [The air between the two warships suddenly filled with a curtain of burning white light.-
[20:10] <@AdEvaGM> [A burning comet streaked across the sky, coming down on the Dorian.-
[20:10] <@AdEvaGM> [A Dysangelion bearing a crozier, its head glowing with energy. Scholastica.-
[20:11] <@AdEvaGM> [Scholastica looked around at the Federation forces- then turned and flew into the large breach in the Synfront's side. She was heading toward Synfront HQ.-
[20:11] <@AdEvaGM> ["No! Intercept her-" shouted an OD. Alphonse, perhaps…?]
[20:12] <Raphael> "On it," Raphael snapped, disappearing into the breach only a few seconds behind her.
[20:13] <@AdEvaGM> [In the space over the Dorian, Keita and Joan met.-
[20:14] <@AdEvaGM> ["I've been wanting to fight you ever since I saw you in action." Hissed Keita. "You're mine!"-
[20:14] <@AdEvaGM> [The Dysangelion replied with nothing but a shriek of rage.-
[20:15] <@AdEvaGM> [A scythe flash. Keita sidestepped.-[
[20:15] <@AdEvaGM> [A prog sword swing, burying itself into Dysangelion flesh, drawing blood.-
[20:15] <@AdEvaGM> [a flash of AT energy- hitting nothing.-
[20:15] <@AdEvaGM> [A positron blade, stabbed through the Dysangelion's knee.-
[20:15] <@AdEvaGM> [A wild swing of the claw, parried away by a metal kick.-
[20:17] <@AdEvaGM> [Keita's twin blades struck the Dys's chest, glancing off armour. He raised them, to come down on its neck-
[20:17] <@AdEvaGM> [The Dysangelion plunged its claw into Keita's unit.-
[20:17] <@AdEvaGM> [With one vicious rip, it tore him free.-
[20:17] <@AdEvaGM> [It squeezed; his body smashed into pulp.-
[20:19] <@AdEvaGM> [In its wake, a cluster of impact shots fell across the rear of the Gendo, where the AT Field did not protect.-
[20:21] <@AdEvaGM> ["We're taking damage- our engines are losing power-"-
[20:32] <@AdEvaGM> [On the bridge of the Gendo, a small wisp of black smoke rose out of the ground.-
[20:32] <@AdEvaGM> [Kourosh didn't notice it; he was too busy paying attention to Sophie.-
[20:33] <@AdEvaGM> ["We have confirmed them: The Divine Evangelions are in the field."-
[20:33] <@AdEvaGM> ["For heaven's sake, Fatima, what are you doing?!" roared Michael over the comms- to no answer.-
[20:33] <@AdEvaGM> [The black smoke curled around Kou's body. It flowed up to his throat, then into his mouth.-
[20:34] <@AdEvaGM> [… His head was in a vice. For a moment he was utterly vertigous. He fell to his knees and threw up.-
[20:34] <@AdEvaGM> [It was a migraine times ten, easy; a spurt of blood shot out of his nose-
[20:34] <@AdEvaGM> [He screamed, but the scream was so disconnected from himself that he barely heard it.-
[20:34] <@AdEvaGM> [It had been… So fast.-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> [The thing that he had spent his life slowly losing, the immense, toxic patterns that had warped his brain-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> [They were back.-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> ["Kou- are you okay?!" Shouted Go, holding him.-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> ["…"-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> [Kou stood.-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> ["Go." he said quietly. "I need you to establish a chantry."-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> ["With who?"-
[20:35] <@AdEvaGM> ["With everyone in the fleet. I'm to be its core."-
[20:36] <@AdEvaGM> ["Okay, but-"-
[20:36] <@AdEvaGM> [He was connected.-
[20:36] <@AdEvaGM> [Everyone. Heed my every word.-
[20:37] <@AdEvaGM> [In an instant, Kou predicted everything.-
[20:37] <@AdEvaGM> [The placement of every force, where they would go, what they had to do to stop it.-
[20:37] <@AdEvaGM> [If everyone heeded his words-
[20:38] <@AdEvaGM> [We can stop them.-
[20:39] <@AdEvaGM> [Chiisana attuned her blade, then thrust it outwards, sending a wave of force against a trio of MPs. They scattered, directly into shots from Yamagishi and Juuichi.-
[20:39] <@AdEvaGM> [the Plasma Array glowed once again, and fired-
[20:40] <@AdEvaGM> [But this time the Twins caught it, bent it, and threw it backwards, frying five MP Evas and holing an enemy warship at the same time.-
[14:20] <@AdEvaGM> [A squadron of enemy Superheavies descended on Chiisana, positron rifles howling, only to be blocked at the last second by the fanned ribbon-arms of Zeruel. He reversed his parry into a lash, slicing each Superheavy into pieces.-
[14:24] <@AdEvaGM> [An MP Eva slammed San's unit to the ground- only to have a hard positron-edged shield rip through its field and strike it on the face. It reeled backwards, just as Edgar Chevalier caught the shield on the rebound. "This is for Asuka!" He shouted, drawing the Galatine Sword from its sheath; a wave of charged positrons burned its AT Field and outer armour, just long enough for Eva Marchand
[14:24] <@AdEvaGM> to fire a well-aimed stalker bolt round through its chest, detonating its core.-
[14:26] <@AdEvaGM> [Atop the Synfront was a Deva, this one toting multiple heavy weapons with its four arms- Ebele Achebe's unit, never before seen.-
[14:27] <@AdEvaGM> [It trained its GPC on EVA-08- on Isaiah.-
[14:28] <@AdEvaGM> [But Isaiah's mind was filled was awareness, courtesy of Kou's chantry. He looked up-
[14:28] <@AdEvaGM> [Ebele fired.-
[14:28] <@AdEvaGM> [But the GPC didn't fire. It simply began to spark; then suddenly the power core erupted, bathing the Deva in erratic energy.-
[14:29] <@AdEvaGM> [The Deva let out a low keen, before training a dual-pulse railcannon on him. The cannons charged-
[14:29] <@AdEvaGM> [And these two simply overheated and exploding, scorching the Deva's thick blue armour plating black.-
[14:31] <@AdEvaGM> [With an outraged roar it pulled free a heavy bolter, firing wildly at Isaiah.-
[14:31] <@AdEvaGM> [Isaiah didn't even bother deflecting. He simply raised his hand.-
[14:31] <@AdEvaGM> [Each bolt shell struck it. Every single one was a dud.-
[14:39] <@AdEvaGM> [Then Isaiah raised his hand. The air far above the Deva swirled into a dirac portal.-
[14:39] <@AdEvaGM> [There was a horrific sucking sound, then-
[14:40] <@AdEvaGM> [A moment later, a large meteor fell out of the portal, streaked through the sky, and collided into the Deva, grinding it against the Synfront's hull- which immediately began to buckle, but not completely.-
[14:41] <@AdEvaGM> [The meteor rolled off, falling into the great barren dustbowl below with a great and furious impact.-
[14:47] <@AdEvaGM> [On the bridge of the Dorian, Alphonse braved the smoke and the fire to grab the tactical command. "Tsubaki! Get ready!"-
[14:47] <@AdEvaGM> ["Ready!"-
[14:47] <@AdEvaGM> [The Impact Cannons were still functioning. And this time he had the benefit of perfect knowledge…-
[14:47] <@AdEvaGM> [The Cannons raised and fired outwards.-
[14:48] <@AdEvaGM> [At that moment, Tsubaki reversed the AT Field, bouncing the cannonfire off them, sending it ricocheting across the deck, clearing it of a handful of hapless MP Evas in a single volley.-
[14:48] <@AdEvaGM> [Crack.-
[14:48] <@AdEvaGM> [As quickly as it had come, the chantry died.-
[14:49] <@AdEvaGM> [On the bridge of the Gendo, Kourosh's legs gave out from under him, bright blood streaming from his eyes and mouth.-
[14:50] <@AdEvaGM> ["Kou…? Kou!"-
[14:50] <@AdEvaGM> [Go rushed to his side, skidding to her knees to grab him. "Kou! Kou- what's wrong- what-"-
[14:50] <@AdEvaGM> [He let out a groan of pain. "I-I wasn't ready…" He said. "I pushed too hard…"-
[14:52] <@AdEvaGM> ["Help!" Shouted Go. "Please-"-
[14:52] <@AdEvaGM> [Archibald was already pulling her biogel out from beneath her spot.-
[14:52] <@AdEvaGM> ["Don't." Said Kou quietly. "I knew that this was going to happen."-
[14:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["The moment Albus used me… I knew I was going to die soon." He smiled wanly, his face already going pale. "Don't be sad, Go. This always happens."-
[14:54] <@AdEvaGM> ["I always die before it's over. Every single time."-
[14:55] <@AdEvaGM> ["Don't give up. Kou. Please…" Said Go, tears forming in her eyes. "You're my friend."-
[14:56] <@AdEvaGM> ["It'll be alright." Said Kou, his smile widened. "Have faith. All will be well in the end."-
[14:57] <@AdEvaGM> ["Don't let them know of my death." Said Kou, placing a shaky hand on Go's cheek. "Be me, as long as you can be."-
[14:59] <@AdEvaGM> ["I told them I'd be back, when all this was done. But even then I knew I would never return to my farm." Kou said. "But I was happy with you, Go, the first new friend I've had in a thousand years."-
[14:59] <@AdEvaGM> ["Don't let them know."-
[15:00] <@AdEvaGM> ["…"-
[15:02] <@AdEvaGM> [Go squeezed Kou's body to her, as tightly as she could; she held it for a few seconds, the roar of battle silenced.-
[15:02] <@AdEvaGM> [Then she lowered it to the ground and placed a hand over his chest. His eternity tear floated out of his flesh and into her hand.-
[15:03] <@AdEvaGM> [Go stood. She closed her eyes and refocused the chantry. She didn't have Kou's genius or his strange brain- all she had was a good head on her shoulders.-
[15:03] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:29] <@AdEvaGM> [The Sword of Damocles exploded.-
[17:31] <@AdEvaGM> [Not all at once. The engineering section went first, plumes of blue flame punching out of the sides. Then the rest of the superstructure followed, red and orange mixing with the blue. Finally the great gravitron cannon went up, tearing the rest of the ship apart in an overloaded self-inflicted shot. The debris of the ship impacted in on itself for a moment, then flew outwards in every
[17:31] <@AdEvaGM> direction, showering the whole battlefield in debris and ruin.-
[17:32] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:32] <@AdEvaGM> [The Simonides had caught another plasma beam.-
[17:33] <@AdEvaGM> [As they bent it around, however, a shadow passed over them. Elene looked up-
[17:33] <@AdEvaGM> [DEVA-01, Fatima, punched the Simonides square in the jaw.-
[17:34] <@AdEvaGM> [It wasn't enough to do any damage- but it was enough for their control over the beam to slip. The energy burst in all directions, and within seconds it had incinerated EVA-07's arms and legs and most of its torso.-
[17:34] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:34] <@AdEvaGM> [Ebele Achebe's Deva had survived the meteor impact. Somehow. Now it leapt to the skies on great draconian wings, its armour neatly regenerating back into place.-
[17:35] <@AdEvaGM> [It descended on Eva Marchand, ripping her Superheavy to pieces with its great claws. It tore her stalker bolter from her arms and fired at Juuichi below.-
[17:35] <@AdEvaGM> [Juuichi dodged and returned fire- Ebele dodged.-
[17:35] <@AdEvaGM> [Ebele re-aimed, and Juuichi prepared to leap aside-
[17:36] <@AdEvaGM> [Agatha's Dysangelion swept by Juuichi, just for a second- the time bubble flaring around it.-
[17:36] <@AdEvaGM> [The bolt round pulped Juuichi's Eva's head.-
[17:36] <@AdEvaGM> [Agatha swung back and plunged her spear through Juuchi's plug.-
[17:39] <@AdEvaGM> ["Julie!" Shrieked Nana; without thinking, without heeding Go's pleas, she raced after Juuichi's dying Evangelion.-
[17:39] <@AdEvaGM> ["No!" Shouted Chiisana, but too late-
[17:40] <@AdEvaGM> [Agatha threw her spear at Nana, who dodged; but the spear reversed and tore back through Nana's knee. With a cry of pain, she stumbled to the ground-
[17:40] <@AdEvaGM> [Ebele wrapped her AT Field around her stalker bolter and fired a single shot. It punched into Nana's back and pulped the Eva's torso.-
[17:40] <@AdEvaGM> [Chiisana had been left alone.-
[17:41] <@AdEvaGM> ["No…"-
[17:41] <@AdEvaGM> [Three MP Evas went for Chii. She parried the first's lance away, the second she deflected, the third caught her in the shoulder. She burst her AT Field outwards in a wave of fire, sending them reeling.-
[17:42] <@AdEvaGM> [The first MP tried again; Chiisana leapt for it, grabbed its head and focused. A spear of magma burst from her hand, decapitating it finely.-
[17:43] <@AdEvaGM> [There was no such artifice for the second one. It tried to tackle Chiisana; she swung her greatsword through its abdomen and bisected it.-
[17:43] <@AdEvaGM> [The last MP Eva caught her in the shoulder again with its lance, then pushed her back onto the ground. Chiisana took the hit and leapt to her feet; her Eva's eyes shone for a second, before a pair of rainbow coronas burst from them-
[17:44] <@AdEvaGM> [Ebele's last shot tore through the head and torso both, detonating directly over Chiisana's plug.-
[17:44] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:45] <@AdEvaGM> [Within the Entelechy Pegasus, Sarah Holt roared, a mix of grief and rage mangling her words into a mix of curses and shrieked pleas.-
[17:45] <@AdEvaGM> [She searched desperately for the Thanatos. It had to have escaped, somehow…-
[17:48] <@AdEvaGM> [An MP Eva pursued her and was greeted with nine positron shots for its trouble.-
[17:49] <@AdEvaGM> [Sarah's frantic searching found no Thanatos. No Ezra. But he couldn't have been…?-
[17:49] <@AdEvaGM> ["Go! Please, find him-"-
[17:49] <@AdEvaGM> ["I can't sense him!" Shouted Go, her mind overwhelmed by a thousand concerns. "I can't-"-
[17:49] <@AdEvaGM> ["That can't be-"-
[17:49] <@AdEvaGM> [Nearby, the Empress had been forced to the ground.-
[17:50] <@AdEvaGM> [For the last minute she had sparred with nine MP Evas, and each one bore a grisly injury, but none had been completely killed. A lucky thrown spear had pinned the Empress to the deck of the Gendo.-
[17:50] <@AdEvaGM> [Now the nine circled, ready to pounce.-
[17:51] <@AdEvaGM> [As they lunged, a flash of silver ribbons cut through the air.-
[17:51] <@AdEvaGM> [Zeruel stood between the Empress and the Evas, keeping them at bay with his deadly arms.-
[17:52] <@AdEvaGM> [But it wasn't enough, not this time; with impact cannons still tearing into the Gendo and weakening Zeruel's field, the MP Evas had plenty of chances to hit. And hit they did. A ribbon fell here- another bisected here- a lance glancing off Zeruel's armoured core, another grabbing his head in its maw-
[17:52] <@AdEvaGM> [Eventually, combat stopped being combat and became a feast.-
[17:52] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:53] <@AdEvaGM> [The Synfront let out a low, deep hum. Then red energy began to spiral around its equator, flowing upwards until it reached its north pole. This it fired into the night sky.-
[17:53] <@AdEvaGM> [A red 'scab' began to grow over the sky, slowly at first, but then with exceptional speed. Before long, all the sky was blanketed in red.-
[17:53] <@AdEvaGM> ["Ezekiel?" Said Marianne, her hands gripping the arms of her chair tightly. "What's going on?!"-
[17:54] <@AdEvaGM> [Ezekiel swallowed once and closed his eyes. "The Moons are colony ships, designed to aid their owners in their ultimate goal. Mary Caine has activated its terraforming device."-
[17:54] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:54] <@AdEvaGM> [A red sky sat above Paris-2.-
[17:55] <@AdEvaGM> [Within the Palais, President Mazarin sat with Henriette. Zhang Mingzhu stood at the window, looking upwards at the sky.-
[17:55] <@AdEvaGM> ["What is it?" Asked Mazarin, his voice quiet.-
[17:55] <@AdEvaGM> ["The end of the world." Said Mingzhu gently.-
[17:55] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:56] <@AdEvaGM> [In Washington, Tobias Linden checked his Trident's systems one last time.-
[17:56] <@AdEvaGM> ["What the hell is that?" Asked one of his wingmen. He looked up at the reddening sky.-
[17:56] <@AdEvaGM> ["… Nothing good." Said Tobias. "Which means we need to hurry, as best we can."-
[17:56] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[17:57] <@AdEvaGM> ["This isn't natural." Said Emperor Sakurako, up at the sky. "What's happening?"-
[17:58] <@AdEvaGM> [The Keeper shook his head. "I have no idea. I assume it has something to do with the battle- long-distance satellites say the Synfront is now mobile."-
[18:00] <@AdEvaGM> ["It can't be good." Said Sakurako. "Do we have any idea who's winning?"-
[18:00] <@AdEvaGM> [The Keeper gave her a grim look. "Federation losses are… High."-
[18:00] <@AdEvaGM> ["I wish we'd had more time to prepare." Said Sakurako. "What did they think was going to happen, engaging them immediately after fighting the insurrection in space?"-
[18:01] <@AdEvaGM> ["I can't say-"-
[18:01] <@AdEvaGM> [Somewhere in the distance, a handmaiden was shouting.-
[18:01] <@AdEvaGM> ["What about our forces?" Asked Sakurako.-
[18:01] <@AdEvaGM> ["In all honesty, I think the battle will be over long before they arrive." Said the Keeper.-
[18:01] <@AdEvaGM> [More shouting. Sakurako ignored it.-
[18:02] <@AdEvaGM> ["What should we do…? Should we pull our forces back?"-
[18:02] <@AdEvaGM> ["That might be wise, your majesty." Said the Keeper. "If-"-
[18:02] <@AdEvaGM> [The door burst open. The handmaiden lurched into the room. "Your Majesty!", she said, bowing furiously.-
[18:02] <@AdEvaGM> ["What's wrong?" Said the Emperor.-
[18:02] <@AdEvaGM> ["Come and see-"-
[18:03] <@AdEvaGM> [Sakurako followed her out, exchanging a confused look with the Keeper.-
[18:03] <@AdEvaGM> [But as they neared their destination, Sakurako saw what the handmaiden had seen.-
[18:04] <@AdEvaGM> [Sitting alone in the Imperial Gardens was a bare cherry blossom tree, planted by her father, the Emperor Saiki, who said that it would bloom fully once hope had been restored to the world. It had never once bloomed.-
[18:05] <@AdEvaGM> [But now sitting on a single branch was a single, fragile blossom.-
[18:05] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:06] <@AdEvaGM> [A single spear flew through the air and tore through the MP Eva's chest, before it could tear Zeruel's core apart.-
[18:06] <@AdEvaGM> [The spear corrected course mid-air and tore through another, then another, then another; before finally returning to its holder, leaving the remaining MP Evas scattered.-
[18:07] <@AdEvaGM> [The owner was not human, although it appeared humanlike.-
[18:07] <@AdEvaGM> [It was an Angel. A humanoid shape, slender and graceful, with a long, narrow head, armoured with flesh of a silky, reflective nature. Its core burned within its chest.-
[18:08] <@AdEvaGM> ["I know that shape." Murmured Alphonse, seeing it on the last remaining cameras on the bridge.-
[18:09] <@AdEvaGM> [The Angel Ramliel.-
[18:10] <@AdEvaGM> [Ramliel hurtled into the sky. A pair of shadowy wings burst outwards, expanding, a whole universe within them-
[18:10] <@AdEvaGM> [Eleven kilometres in wingspan.-
[18:10] <@AdEvaGM> [The wings vanished after a moment, but then those below would see what was happening.-
[18:11] <@AdEvaGM> [Large Dirac Portals were opening, all across the sky, each a kilometre wide.-
[18:11] <@AdEvaGM> [Ramliel spoke, as she had all that time ago, a voice into the mind of every one on Earth:-
[18:11] <@AdEvaGM> [Come and fight!-
[18:13] <@AdEvaGM> [Then Ramliel fell back to the fray, her lethal spear whirring menacingly as it tore MP Evas apart.-
[18:13] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:14] <@AdEvaGM> [Before Fatima could move to her next target, another Eva came to fight: EVA-21.-
[18:14] <@AdEvaGM> [Michael only had his pistols.-
[18:15] <@AdEvaGM> ["Come on, then, Fatima. Who taught you to duel?" Said Michael. "I'm going to beat this rubbish out of you if it's the last thing I do."-
[18:15] <@AdEvaGM> [Wordlessly, Fatima charged him, lances down, shields up.-
[18:15] <@AdEvaGM> [Michael raised his guns and fired.-
[18:15] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:17] <@AdEvaGM> [Zeruel roused itself, its bleeding flesh already starting to regenerate.-
[18:17] <@AdEvaGM> [Then it let out a low roar and flicked its ribbons out, beheading one MP Eva cleanly.-
[18:17] <@AdEvaGM> [The Empress also stood; missing an arm and a leg, but already starting to regenerate. "I got careless!"-
[18:18] <@AdEvaGM> [Zeruel let out a low rumbling groan.-
[18:18] <@AdEvaGM> ["It won't happen again!"-
[18:18] <@AdEvaGM> [Zeruel shrieked.-
[18:18] <@AdEvaGM> ["Not if I kill them all first!"-
[18:19] <@AdEvaGM> [Angel and Empress stood for a moment- then leapt apart, towards the enemy, ribbons and swords swinging.-
[18:19] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:19] <@AdEvaGM> [Sarah ripped another MP Eva apart with her cannon, but there were too many of them- far more than the 60 she'd been told.-
[18:20] <@AdEvaGM> [Another lunged onto her back, pushing her down; she clumsily rose to her feet and fired point blank.-
[18:20] <@AdEvaGM> [But the cannon was empty.-
[18:20] <@AdEvaGM> [Sarah shakily dropped the gun and tried to reach for another, but it was too late, the MP Eva was on her-
[18:20] <@AdEvaGM> [… And then it wasn't. It had vanished in a bright flash of white light.-
[18:20] <@AdEvaGM> [Sarah frowned. She looked to her left- then right.-
[18:20] <@AdEvaGM> [Then she looked down.-
[18:21] <@AdEvaGM> [Standing on the deck of the Gendo, hand outstretched, her armour damaged and burning and yet ultimately in one piece…-
[18:21] <@AdEvaGM> [Was Minerva Linden.-
[18:21] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:23] <@AdEvaGM> [The Americans were the first to arrive through the portals. Tobias Linden led the formation in his Trident, followed by four others; then came Valkyrie Solaces and finally, Thruster Solaces, emerging out of a portal on the ground.-
[18:23] <@AdEvaGM> ["Form a perimeter around the Ikari!" Said Tobias. "Then we counter-attack!"-
[18:23] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:24] <@AdEvaGM> [Then came the Germans, consisting mostly of Aurora Starfighters and E-Destroyers.-
[18:25] <@AdEvaGM> ["This is Maximillian von Leitzkau. Our priorities are those star cruisers!"-
[18:25] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:29] <@AdEvaGM> [There wasn't much the dilapidated Russians could do, but they did it anyway: Six Super Dreadnoughts and five dozen fighter jets.-
[18:30] <@AdEvaGM> ["We're on anti-air." Said Lady Snow, in the lead Super Dreadnought. "Find isolated MP Evas and shoot them down!"-
[18:30] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:31] <@AdEvaGM> [Ebele Achebe aimed her stalker bolter at San's Evangelion. She fired-
[18:32] <@AdEvaGM> [And a moment later it exploded in her hands.-
[18:33] <@AdEvaGM> [Isaiah dropped from the sky and caught Achebe around the head with his arm. He plunged, lower and lower- before slamming it into the side of the Synfront. Even then he didn't stop, essentially scraping its entire side across the tough hull.-
[18:34] <@AdEvaGM> [With his other hand, Isaiah began systematically tearing its arms off, one at a time. It fought back as best it could, which wasn't enough.-
[18:34] <@AdEvaGM> [Delimbed, Isaiah chucked it into the open space.-
[18:35] <@AdEvaGM> [He prepared an AT bolt, when…-
[18:35] <@AdEvaGM> [Five sleek craft whirred past at high speed. They flew in formation and surrounded the Deva.-
[18:36] <@AdEvaGM> [Each fired blue beams that struck the other, forming a sort of energy net between themselves. They then closed ever closer, the net catching the Deva and burning into its flesh.-
[18:36] <@AdEvaGM> [The Deva shrieked and tried to break free.-
[18:37] <@AdEvaGM> [The five craft suddenly pulled up, pushing the Deva's face directly into the burning net- before long it was burning into the bone.-
[18:37] <@AdEvaGM> [The net vanished; the five craft changed their shapes, then suddenly collided- only instead of exploding, they merged together. Each was the component of a Superheavy- a giant Superheavy…-
[18:38] <@AdEvaGM> ["This is Liberté Égalité Fraternité." Said the Red Keeper, his voice like a clear, smug bell. "Commanding the Special Combining Imperial Superheavy: World Revolution!"-
[18:39] <@AdEvaGM> [It 'fell', catching the Deva with its elbow and driving it into the earth below.-
[18:40] <@AdEvaGM> […-
[18:41] <@AdEvaGM> ["This is Fleet Command." Said Marianne. "Let's drive these monsters back to the hell Mary spawned them from! Charge the Doomsday Cannon!"-
[18:41] <@AdEvaGM> […-